Fisher thrilled with Winston but says whole team contributes

Lamarcus Joyner had two sacks in Florida State's opener, but the Seminoles need better pressure from its ends moving forward.

AP photo

By Brad Milner | News Herald Writer

Published: Friday, September 13, 2013 at 04:17 PM.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher realizes the impressive commodity he has in Jameis Winston. And he knows what lies ahead for the star quarterback.

But he claims the other 10 players on offense and the 11 on defense, plus many others on the bench and on special teams, are just as critical.

“There is more to this team than Jameis Winston,” Fisher said. “Now, Jameis is doing well. I’m very proud of him. I love Jameis, but we have other good players.”

That much is evident as No. 10 FSU is favored by more than four touchdowns against visiting Nevada (1-1) in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CDT game at Doak Campbell Stadium. More to the point, Fisher added that Winston, no matter how gifted and talented, can’t do it on his own. Quarterbacks rarely can.

Current and future National Football League hall of famers John Elway and Peyton Manning couldn’t secure national championships in college. Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton put up gaudy statistics during extended pro careers but never won a Super Bowl.

Much of that is due to the supporting cast. Winston guided FSU to a 41-13 opening win over Pittsburgh on Labor Day and spread the wealth to eight receivers. He still drew a few negative grades on plays from Fisher and the rest of the Seminoles were steady yet nowhere near polished.

“Quarterbacks get a lot of glory, they get a lot of blame and a lot of it has to do with how people play around him,” Fisher said. “Don’t get me wrong, and it takes nothing away from how he played. I thought he played extremely well and I thought the guys around him did, too. I think that’s something we have to remember.”

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher realizes the impressive commodity he has in Jameis Winston. And he knows what lies ahead for the star quarterback.

But he claims the other 10 players on offense and the 11 on defense, plus many others on the bench and on special teams, are just as critical.

“There is more to this team than Jameis Winston,” Fisher said. “Now, Jameis is doing well. I’m very proud of him. I love Jameis, but we have other good players.”

That much is evident as No. 10 FSU is favored by more than four touchdowns against visiting Nevada (1-1) in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CDT game at Doak Campbell Stadium. More to the point, Fisher added that Winston, no matter how gifted and talented, can’t do it on his own. Quarterbacks rarely can.

Current and future National Football League hall of famers John Elway and Peyton Manning couldn’t secure national championships in college. Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton put up gaudy statistics during extended pro careers but never won a Super Bowl.

Much of that is due to the supporting cast. Winston guided FSU to a 41-13 opening win over Pittsburgh on Labor Day and spread the wealth to eight receivers. He still drew a few negative grades on plays from Fisher and the rest of the Seminoles were steady yet nowhere near polished.

“Quarterbacks get a lot of glory, they get a lot of blame and a lot of it has to do with how people play around him,” Fisher said. “Don’t get me wrong, and it takes nothing away from how he played. I thought he played extremely well and I thought the guys around him did, too. I think that’s something we have to remember.”

There are several areas marked for improvement that were masked by the blowout win against Pitt. There likely will be some Band-Aids in the next two games, which are expected to be easy victories as well. The goal is to patch the mistakes or the Seminoles risk exposure against more competitive opponents.

The offensive line will be called on for more consistent run blocking. Injuries have already taken a toll with Tre’ Jackson listed as doubtful and redshirt freshman Ruben Carter poised to take his place at guard Saturday. FSU averaged 4.6 yards per carry and gained 156 yards on the ground against Pitt.

On defense, FSU will need to find ways to bring pressure off the ends. Starters DeMarcus Walker and Eddie Goldman and the backups went without a sack against Pitt. Pressure came from elsewhere in Jeremy Pruitt’s defense, as cornerback Lamarcus Joyner provided two sacks and nose tackle Timmy Jernigan another.

Fisher also said current steady performers Kenny Shaw on punt returns (26 on his only one of the year) and placekicker Roberto Aguayo (two short field goals and one touchback) need to continue on an upward trend. He maintains that the season is a process, and while Winston is the face of the Seminoles, the backbone must remain strong. Consistency is needed regardless of how many points are scored.

“You can’t make all the right decisions, all the time, every game, every day. It doesn’t work that way,” Fisher said. “But what you have to do is when it doesn’t quite go your way, it’s how you manage that. It doesn’t matter who we play, we have to play the way we play. It’s about us. It’s no disrespect to them.”

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